For Better or For Worse
by elang4
Summary: Pre-GG. Rory's 10 and her and Lorelai already live at the Crap Shack. They meet Luke a lot earlier than on the show and so Lorelai and Luke get together much earlier. There will be drama and romance. Follow them as they try and become a family, overcoming obstacles on the way.
1. Chapter 1

**I know you're thinking why is she starting another story but I've recently been reading fics where Rory is younger and I realised how much I enjoyed writing my previous ones so I fancied doing another one! Don't worry, I will still continue with Falling For Him as I'm really enjoying that one and once I get over my writer's block, I will update Found, Now Home as well. :) I'd just like to thank you for all your support. It really does mean a lot to me. :)**

 **So this will take place when Rory is 10. They've already moved into the Crap Shack but they meet Luke earlier and Lorelai and Luke will get together earlier. :) Obviously there will be a fair share of drama but also a lot of fluff so I hope you enjoy! :)**

Chapter 1

"Bye hon! Have a good day!" Lorelai waved as she watched her daughter disappear into school with her best friend, Lane. She yawned and looked down at her watch which showed that she still had half an hour before her shift at the inn. "I really need to coffee." She muttered as she started walking across the square heading for Weston's.

However something caught her eye on her way there. It looked like a diner. She had always ignored it because of the hardware sign above the door but getting a closer look, it definitely didn't look like a hardware shop. She wandered slowly over to it and saw Luke's on the window. She opened the door and some bells rang obviously signalling her arrival. Lorelai looked round and noticed that it must be popular as all the tables were taken so she went up to the counter to sit on a vacant stool. By this time she was really craving coffee so she looked round to see if she could find anyone who looked in charge. She suddenly saw a scruffy looking guy wearing flannel and a backwards baseball cap emerging from what she guessed was the kitchen with plates of food. She waited until he was back behind the counter and then made herself know. "Hey! You in the baseball cap! Load me up, I need coffee!" She said.

"Yeah you and everyone else in this crazy town." He grumbled.

"Yeah but I need it now!" Lorelai grinned.

Luke scowled over at her. "Wait your turn." He said as he grabbed the coffee jug and went over to another table to refill their coffee and then took his pad out and took the people's orders.

Lorelai got up and followed him. "I don't think you understand. I need coffee to function! And I need to go to work soon!" She exclaimed dramatically.

Luke turned to her annoyed. "I do understand. I understand that you're crazy. Now go sit down and stop being annoying." He said.

Lorelai pouted and went back to the counter. She spotted a newspaper lying there so she grabbed it and turned to the horoscope page. "What's your horoscope?" She called out to him.

Luke turned to her. "What are you talking about now?" He groaned.

"What's your horoscope?" She repeated.

"Why?" He exclaimed.

"I'll leave you alone if you tell me." She grinned.

Luke let out an exasperated sigh. "Scorpio." He said, giving in.

"Thanks!" She grinned and started writing something in the newspaper and then tore it out. She waited until Luke gave out an order and was back behind the counter. "Here!" She said.

"I thought you were going to leave me alone." He said.

"After you read this!" She grinned.

Luke sighed but took the piece of paper and read it. _You will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she will go away._ He looked back at her and had to smirk at her expectant face and it was then that he noticed that she had the bluest, most beautiful eyes. He suddenly realised he was staring at her and she was looking back hopefully at him. He sighed and got a mug and poured some coffee in it. "This stuff will kill you." He grumbled as he handed it over.

Lorelai grinned. "At least it will be a happy death!" She said eagerly sipping the coffee. "Oh my god, this is amazing!" She exclaimed. "What do you put in this?"

"Secret." He said.

"This has to be the best cup of coffee I've had in years." She exclaimed.

"I thought you said this would get rid of you." He said but he was smirking. He didn't know why but he was drawn in by this crazy woman.

"After I've drunk this." Lorelai said. She glanced up at him. "I'm Lorelai by the way."

"Luke." He said.

"Oh you're Luke? This is your diner?" She asked.

"Seeing as it's called Luke's, I'd say that was pretty obvious." He said dryly.

"Alright, I was just asking!" Lorelai rolled her eyes. She drank the rest of her coffee and brought out her purse and placed some notes on the counter. "Thanks for the counter and the amazing service!" She grinned. "Oh and put the horoscope in your wallet. You never know, it might bring you luck one day." She joked getting up.

Luke watched her leave and he didn't realise until he saw Patty smiling at him from the counter that he had a smile on his face. "What?" He growled.

"Oh nothing dear." Patty smiled.

Luke gave her a look and went back to the kitchen, making sure to pocket the horoscope on the way.

* * *

"I went to that diner today in the square. I hadn't noticed it before but that Luke guy makes the most amazing coffee!" Lorelai said to her best friend, Sookie, in the kitchen at the inn later that day.

"Oh Luke's! Yeah I know Luke." Sookie smiled.

"You do?"

"Yeah I went to school with him."

"Isn't he such a ray of sunshine?" Lorelai joked.

Sookie laughed. "Yeah don't worry about that. He's like that with everyone."

"Really? How am I not surprised?" She said.

"You can't blame him though. He's not exactly had the best few years." Sookie said.

"What do you mean?" Lorelai frowned.

"Oh I probably shouldn't really tell you this. He's sort of a private person." Sookie said guiltily.

"Oh ok. Don't worry." She said.

"It's just he's not always been this...well...grumpy. Well he's always been grumpy but it got worse. He lost his mother when he was a kid and was brought up by his dad. They were really close but then his dad got ill and well he passed away a few years ago. It completely broke Luke and he had to deal with all the aftermath by himself." Sookie said sadly. "He's a good guy though. Even though he's not exactly the most sociable."

"God, poor Luke." Lorelai said suddenly feeling guilty for giving him such a hard time.

"You weren't to know." Sookie reassured her. "He just sort of keeps himself to himself."

"It must have been tough on him." Lorelai nodded. "Anyway, I better get back to the desk before Michel kills me. Thanks for the food." She smiled.

"Anytime hon." Sookie smiled.

* * *

"So what do we need from Doose's?" Rory asked as she walked alongside her mom dragging her backpack behind her.

"Uh snacks!" Lorelai said as if it was obvious.

Rory grinned. "Sorry, my mistake."

"So how was school?" Lorelai smiled down at her daughter.

"Good! We got a new book in English!" Rory said excitedly. "I'm going to start it tonight."

"Uh excuse me?" Lorelai said raising her eyebrows.

"After our movie night of course!" Rory rolled her eyes.

"Good girl!" Lorelai grinned. She pulled out her purse and took out some money. "Here. Go grab a movie and then meet me in the snacks aisle." She said giving it to Rory.

"Ok!" Rory smiled.

"Come straight back here ok?" Lorelai called after her.

"I will!" Rory called back as she headed to the movie store.

Lorelai smiled as she watched her. Sometimes she couldn't believe how lucky she had gotten. She had a great kid who she loved so much and who was everything to her and they lived in a lovely town where everyone had been so welcoming to them. She remembered back to the first day she had arrived here. She'd stepped off that bus with Rory in her arms and had felt so nervous and scared. She couldn't have coped at home any longer. Her mother had hired nannies and Lorelai couldn't deal with their ways of looking after Rory and she didn't want Rory growing up being forced to go to cotillions and debutante balls so she packed their stuff, left a note and took the first bus out of there. She was directed to the Independence inn where she had met Mia who had given her a job and allowed them to live in the small potting shed at the back of the inn rent free. She couldn't believe how generous Mia had been. She was definitely her guardian angel. A few years ago, Mia had given her a promotion at the inn and she had finally saved enough money to put a deposit on a house. It had been a long and hard journey but she never looked back. This town was the best thing that had happened to her and Rory was really happy which was the most important thing to her.

She entered Doose's where she grabbed a basket and went directly to the snacks aisle. She wasn't looking where she was going as she was walking along the aisle putting several different kinds of snacks in her basket when she bumped into someone. "Oh sorry!" She exclaimed looking up. "Oh hi!" She said as she realised it was Luke.

"Hey." He said. He frowned when he saw her basket. "Are you seriously going to eat all that?" He said.

"Well it's not all for me. But yeah!" Lorelai grinned.

Just then Rory came running in. "Mom, I got Willy Wonka! Felt in a Wonka mood!" She grinned. She stopped when she saw that her mom wasn't alone. "Oh.." She said embarrassed.

"Oh uh hon, this is Luke. He owns the diner down the road. I met him this morning." Lorelai explained. She glanced at Luke's surprised face. "Uh this is Rory, my daughter." She said.

"Um hi." Luke said surprised but made sure to give Rory a smile.

"Hi." Rory smiled shyly.

"Here. Why don't you go get some ice cream? I'll meet you there." Lorelai smiled at her daughter.

"Ok!" Rory said and went off to the freezer section.

"You have a daughter." Luke said. He then kicked himself. "Sorry that was stating the obvious. You just...You don't look..." He sighed not really knowing what to say.

"Yeah I know. I don't look old enough to have a daughter. I'm 26, she's 10. Do the math." Lorelai sighed. She was already used to the reactions she got when she told people she had a daughter.

Luke saw her expression and kicked himself. "I'm sorry. I wasn't judging. I swear I wasn't."

"It's ok. It's the normal reaction anyway." Lorelai shrugged.

"No I mean it. My sister had a kid when she was 17. I swear I wasn't judging. I was just surprised, that's all. I wasn't expecting..." He sighed as he realised he was rambling. "She seems like a great kid."

Lorelai had to smile at his awkwardness. "Don't worry about it. Honestly. And thank you. She's the best kid. Perfect in fact. Although I am a little biased." She joked.

Luke chuckled, relaxing a bit, glad that he hadn't offended her. "Anyway, I should get going. Maybe I'll see you around. Apparently my coffee's amazing, well according to a crazy woman I met today." He smirked.

Lorelai grinned. "Well I guess I might see you around then. I love coffee."

"Bye. And please at least eat something healthy tonight as well!" He said.

"No promises!" Lorelai grinned.

Luke just shook his head. "See ya." He said but Lorelai saw his lips twitch.

"Bye." Lorelai smiled as he watched him leave. She then went over to the ice cream where Rory was waiting. "Chosen?" She asked.

"Yep! Cookie dough!" Rory grinned.

"Good choice." Lorelai approved. "Come on, let's go pay." She said taking hold of Rory's hand.

As they were walking back through the square to go home, Lorelai couldn't help but glance over at the diner. She had a feeling that they would probably become frequent visitors there. Lorelai managed to take her gaze away from the diner and turned to focus on her daughter. "So pizza or chinese tonight?" She asked.

"Pizza!" Rory chose.

"Pizza it is!" Lorelai nodded as she took hold of Rory's hand to cross the road to get home.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Let me know whether this is worth continuing. I really do love reading what you think so please review if you want! Thanks! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for all your follows and reviews! Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 2

"I can't believe we didn't notice this place before." Rory said as her and her mom sat down at a free table at Luke's.

"I know! If the food is anywhere near as good as the coffee, I'm pretty sure this will be our new favourite place." Lorelai grinned, picking up a menu and handing one to Rory.

"What can I get you?" Luke said gruffly coming up to the table.

"Hi!" Lorelai grinned up at him.

"So the whole leaving thing was a trick then?" He said dryly.

"Well how can I stay away from the amazing coffee and the wonderful service." Lorelai joked.

Luke rolled his eyes and turned to Rory. "Maybe you will be more cooperative than your mother." He said. "What can I get you?"

"Can I get pancakes?" She asked shyly.

"Sure. Plain, blueberry or chocolate chip." He said.

Rory furrowed her eyebrows together and looked back at the menu. "I didn't see chocolate chip pancakes on the menu." She said confused.

"Oh yeah, well, they're not on the menu but I can..uh..still make them if you want them." He said awkwardly.

"Really?" Rory asked.

"Yep. You want them?" He asked.

"Yes please." She smiled.

"Do you want whipped cream too?" He asked.

Rory nodded. "If that's ok?"

"Sure. And to drink?"

"Uh orange juice please."

"Sure." He nodded writing it down.

"I want chocolate chip pancakes too!" Lorelai grinned.

"Sorry. I only make them for customers who don't annoy me." He said hiding his smirk as Rory giggled.

"Hey!" Lorelai said indignantly. "I resent that!"

"You can resent that but it doesn't make it not true." Luke said.

Lorelai pouted. "Fine. Blueberry pancakes then." She said. "But there better be lots of coffee."

"Coming up." He smirked and walked off to the kitchen.

"I think I like this place." Rory grinned.

"Yeah well it's alright when you get exactly what you want!" Lorelai pouted.

"Well I am pretty lovable." Rory shrugged.

Lorelai had to smile at that. "Yeah I can't deny that."

Meanwhile, Luke watched them from the behind the counter whilst waiting for their food and he couldn't help but smile as Rory brought Lorelai out of her mood and then how Rory laughed at something Lorelai said. He didn't know why but something about the two of them drew him in. He normally hated kids, didn't have time for them, but Rory seemed like a sweet kid and she was polite and funny. He went to get their pancakes and then took them to the table with their drinks. "Here." He said putting the pancakes down infront of them.

"Hey I have chocolate chip ones too!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Yeah well I wasn't willing to have to hear you go on about it for ages so thought I'd save myself the bother." He shrugged.

Lorelai grinned. "Good thinking!"

Luke rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile at making her happy. "Enjoy your food and your liquid death." He said sarcastically and walked off. He watched them subtly as they were eating and then once they were finished, he saw Rory look at her watch and say something to Lorelai who nodded and Rory got up and gave her a hug and a kiss before leaving the diner. He watched as she walked across the square carefully, crossing the roads responsibly, and then reaching the school. He didn't realise he had been watching so intently when he heard Lorelai's voice infront of him.

"Luke?"

"Oh sorry." Luke said looking at her. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Just want to pay. I need to get going." She smiled.

"Sure." He nodded and gave her the check.

Lorelai looked at it and pulled out her purse. She frowned going through it. "Oh shoot...no, no, no..." She muttered.

"What is it?" Luke asked.

Lorelai groaned. "God this is so embarrassing. I thought I had enough but I forgot I gave Rory lunch money this morning and also I gave her money for a book she wanted to buy after school because she had been waiting for weeks to buy it. And then I have this guy coming over to fix our boiler at home because we have no hot water." She rambled. She groaned again. "God Luke, I'm so sorry. This has never happened to me before." She said avoiding his gaze.

Luke saw her getting into a state and shrugged. He took the check and tore it up. "Don't worry about it. I forgot, first time customers are on the house anyway." He said.

"What, really?" Lorelai asked finally looking up at him.

"Yeah. Honestly don't worry about it." He said giving her a small smile.

"Are you sure?" She asked quietly.

"I'm sure." He said. "And don't get a guy in to look at your boiler, they totally rip you off. I can, well I can look at it for you if you want." He offered awkwardly.

"Oh you don't need to do that." She said.

"I don't mind. It shouldn't take too long." He said. "And don't worry about paying me for it. I have a feeling you will be having enough coffee here to pay me back." He joked.

Lorelai finally smiled. "Well...if you're sure..." She said.

"I'm sure." Luke smiled.

"Thank you." She said sincerely. "I better go. I should be home by 4."

"I'll meet you there then." He nodded.

"Great thanks! Oh I'm the house next to Babette and Morey's." She said.

"See you there." He said and watched her leave.

* * *

At 4, Luke arrived at the Crap Shack. He was about to knock on the door when he saw a loose floorboard on the porch. The next thing he knew, he got his toolbox out and started fixing it. He heard the door open and looked up to find Lorelai there. "Hi." He smiled sheepishly.

"Hi! I thought I heard something." Lorelai said. "Rory, it's fine. It's not a burglar!" She called inside.

"You thought I was a burglar?" Luke asked.

"Well you never know!" Lorelai said. "So what are you doing? The boiler's inside." She raised her eyebrows.

"I'm sorry. I..uh..just saw this floorboard and it was loose. I thought I'd fix it because, well, uh, Rory could have tripped over it or something and hurt herself." He said awkwardly.

Lorelai had to smile at that. "Well thanks. Are you finished?"

"Yeah, so uh should I?" He asked gesturing to inside.

"Oh, uh, yeah, come on in!" She smiled leading him inside.

Luke saw Rory in the living room on the couch engrossed in a book. "Hi Rory." He said.

Rory turned round and smiled shyly. "Hi." She said and then went right back to her book.

"Sorry, you won't get much out of her when she's reading." Lorelai laughed.

"Don't worry about it. My nephew's the same." He said following her to the boiler, where he got to work straight away.

"Oh you have a nephew? Does he live here as well?" Lorelai asked, vaguely remembering him saying something about his sister getting pregnant young.

"Oh..uh..no. My sister took him with her to New York. They live there." He said. "I haven't seen him for years actually."

"Oh sorry...I didn't mean to pry." Lorelai said feeling bad.

"No it's ok. You weren't to know." Luke said giving her a small smile to show he wasn't mad.

Lorelai stood there awkwardly for a moment watching him fiddle with the boiler. "So..uh..I'm sorry about your parents." She said quietly. "Sookie mentioned it. She wasn't gossiping or anything, I promise. I just..." She sighed realising she was rambling. "I'm sorry. It must have been tough."

"Yeah. Thanks." He nodded.

"Ok, I guess I'll leave you to work then. And stop asking all these personal questions..." She said awkwardly, turning to leave the room.

Luke sighed and felt bad for being short with her. "I'm sorry. I just...I don't like talking about it." He admitted.

Lorelai gave him a sympathetic smile. "I get it. And I promise Sookie wasn't gossiping." She said.

Luke nodded. "Don't worry about it. I know Sookie. I know she wouldn't have been." He assured her.

Lorelai let out a breath. "Ok. Good. Well I guess I'll leave you to it." She smiled before leaving the room and heading back to Rory.

* * *

When Luke finished, he packed up his toolbox and headed towards the living room. "I'm all done. Your water should be fine now." He said.

Lorelai looked up from the couch. "Oh great! Thank you!" She smiled.

"No problem." He smiled. "I should get back to the diner." He said awkwardly.

"Oh sure. I'm sorry I brought you away from it..."

"No it's fine. Caesar can manage for a while alone." Luke assured her. "I'm glad I could help."

"Well I really appreciate it so thank you." She said sincerely. "You're right, the guys I call to come do the odd job totally rip me off."

Luke chuckled. "Yeah they do." He agreed. He hesitated for a moment. "You know, if there's ever any other thing you need fixing around the house, I'm..uh..happy to help." He offered.

Lorelai blinked in surprise. "Really?" She asked. She'd only met Luke yesterday and he was being so nice and generous. She didn't know if it was a game or not.

"Yeah, I don't mind." He shrugged. "I..uh..I used to help my dad out in the hardware store a lot so I learnt a lot.." He added quietly.

Lorelai knew he was being sincere because she could see how much it pained him to talk about his dad and she was touched. "Ok. Well thank you. If I think of anything, I'll let you know." She said.

"Ok. Well I guess I should get back. I'm assuming I'll see you for your liquid death tomorrow?" He said in more of a joking manner.

"You're seriously asking me that?" She joked.

"You're right. My fault." He rolled his eyes. "Well, uh, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." He said.

"Yeah see you tomorrow. And thanks. Again." She smiled sincerely. "For this morning and for this."

Luke smiled. "Don't worry about it. Bye." He said. "Bye Rory." He said glancing over at the couch.

"Bye." Rory smiled at him.

Lorelai walked him to the door and watched him leave. She couldn't help but smile as she watched him drive off, giving her a wave as he did. She had a feeling Luke was going to become a good friend. She headed back inside the house and joined Rory back on the couch. She saw her daughter turn and look at her. "What?" She asked.

"You're smiling." Rory said.

Lorelai laughed. "So? Am I not allowed to smile?" She asked.

Rory shrugged. "I just haven't seen you smile like this before." She said innocently.

"Don't be silly. You have!" Lorelai said.

Rory shrugged and went back to her book which took Lorelai the time to turn the tv on to take her mind off everything.

 **So I hoped you liked it! Please keep the reviews coming. I really do appreciate them! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for your lovely reviews! Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 3

A few weeks had passed and Lorelai and Rory had become frequent visitors of Luke's. Lorelai and Luke had become good friends too, with them bantering in the diner and Luke going over to the house to fix the odd thing.

Lorelai was at the reception of the inn waiting for her shift to end at the end of a very busy, hard week. She sighed when she saw a group of men come down the stairs. They had been staying at the inn all week and had been hassling her. They were from Hartford and somehow knew who she was and her history. At first it had been the odd comment but now every time they'd seen her, they acted all creepy and flirty with her. She tried to give them the brush off but they wouldn't take the hint. She saw them glance at her from the couches and even that sent a shiver down her spine. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and she jumped.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Mia said.

"No I'm sorry. I was just in my own world there." Lorelai said.

"You can head off now if you like." Mia smiled.

"Are you sure? But I'm scheduled to work until 7." She said surprised.

"I know but you've worked hard this week. I know it hasn't exactly been easy for you." Mia said glancing over at the three men.

Lorelai realised that Mia must have noticed and gave her a small smile. "Thanks. I'll see you on Monday." She said.

"See you on Monday." Mia smiled and watched as she grabbed her coat and bag and quickly left.

* * *

Later that evening, Lorelai went to pick up Rory from Lane's and then they went to get a movie from the movie store to watch that evening. She hadn't spent much time with Rory that week so she had promised they could have a movie night at the end of the week. They were heading home away from the square when Lorelai saw three men walk towards them and her heart sank when she realised who they were. Her hand tightened around Rory's.

"I thought it was you! Isn't it a coincidence that we happen to bump into you this fine evening?" One of the men smirked.

"Isn't it just?" Lorelai gritted her teeth knowing it was no coincidence.

"Is this your daughter? Cute!" One of the other men smirked.

"We're just going home so if you would let us pass." Lorelai said trying to sound confident but it was dark and no one was about.

"But it's early! The fun hasn't even started yet." The first man spoke again advancing a bit towards Lorelai.

"Mom..." Rory said quietly, scared.

Lorelai saw the men advancing on them and knew what they had in their minds. Her first thought was Rory. She had to protect her daughter. "Rory, hon, why don't you go and get some snacks from Doose's? We forgot to get some." She said softly.

"But..." Rory said.

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere." The main man spoke again, more menacingly this time.

Lorelai saw the men advancing on them again and she made a split second decision and pushed Rory back towards the square. "Run!" She told her daughter.

"Mom!"

"RUN!" Lorelai said loudly.

Rory did as she was told when she saw the fear in her mom's eyes. She ran as fast as she could without looking back. However, she started hearing shouting and cries and her eyes widened when she looked back to see her mom totally surrounded by the three men. She froze when she saw her mom try and fight back which resulted in one of the men slapping her and pin her against the wall. She didn't know what to do. She looked round the square but no one was about. She then saw the diner and thought of Luke. Her mom and Luke had become good friends and Luke had helped them at the house. She heard her mom cry out again and she found herself sprinting towards Luke tears streaming down her face. She reached the door and her heart sank as the closed sign was on the door. She started banging on the door hoping Luke could hear her. "Luke!" She cried.

Luke came out of the kitchen where he was getting everything ready for tomorrow and his heart dropped when he saw Rory, tears streaming down her face. He ran and unlocked the door.

"You have to help mom!" Rory cried. "Please help mom!" She said hysterically.

"Whoa, Rory, slow down. What's going on?" Luke said worried.

"Mom's getting hurt! We...were walking home..." She tried to explain but her breathing was becoming more rapid. "These men...they came up to mom and were being mean. It was scary...and then mom told me to run so I did. But they're hurting her! Please you have to help!" She cried.

"Where is she?" Luke said quickly.

"I..I..." Rory started but her breathing had become faster and faster and she couldn't get her words out.

Luke leant down and put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm going to help your mom but you need to tell me where she is." He said softly.

"Th..This way..." Rory finally said rushing off, Luke hot on her heels.

What he saw made him sick. Lorelai was pinned up against the wall with three men surrounding her, one of them grappling with her clothes. "Hey!" He shouted starting to run towards them. "The police are on their way!" He shouted, which caused the men to look up startled and then scarpering quickly. He rushed over to Lorelai who had collapsed onto the ground and his heart clenched at the sight of her. Her clothes were ripped and her nose was bleeding. She also had several bruises on her face and arms. "Lorelai..." He said softly kneeling down next to her. He put his hand on her arm gently which caused her to flinch so he removed it quickly. "I'm sorry." He said quickly. "Lorelai, you're ok. You're safe now." He said softly.

"Lu..Luke..." She said weakly.

"It's me. You're safe now, I promise. They're gone." He said softly. At that, Lorelai finally broke down crying and Luke put his arms round her carefully but he was relieved when Lorelai didn't flinch this time. "It's ok. You're ok." He comforted her.

"Rory..." Lorelai said quietly.

Luke followed her gaze to Rory who was stood a few feet away looking shaken by everything. "Come on, we should get you to the hospital." He said softly.

Lorelai shook her head. "I'm ok..." She protested.

"You're not, Lorelai. You need to be looked at." Luke said softly.

"No, no...nothing happened...like that. Th..they didn't get that far." Lorelai said quietly so that Rory didn't hear. "Please...I don't want to go to the hospital." She said weakly.

"Ok well then you're both coming to mine. You need to get cleaned up. I've got a first aid kit in the diner. Come on." He said softly helping her up. He glanced at Rory who was frozen to the spot. "Come on Rory. I'm taking you both back to mine. I promise your mom will be ok." He tried to reassure her. He was relieved when Rory started following them.

* * *

Once they were up in his apartment, Luke sat Lorelai down on a chair and quickly opened the first aid kit.

"Luke, I'm fine..." She tried to protest.

"Lorelai, let me do this." He said softly. "Please. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. You know that right?" He asked noticing how Lorelai was still shaking.

"I know.." She said weakly. "But you don't need to..."

Luke sat down in another chair and brought it close to her. "I want to." He said and starting dabbing at her cuts on her face, wiping the blood away. "Sorry." He said as she winced a few times.

It took a few minutes for Luke to clean her up and Lorelai was grateful at how gentle he was being. She felt safe here. Luke made her feel safe. "Thanks.." She said quietly.

"Mom..." A small voice said once Luke had finished.

Lorelai looked over at the couch where Rory was sat, still looking in shock. "Oh sweetheart..." She said softly. She held out her arms. "Come here hon..."

Rory didn't need asking twice and ran and threw herself in her mom's arm.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that. But look, I'm ok. I'm going to be ok." She said forcing a smile onto her face.

"You're hurt." Rory sniffed.

"Only a few cuts and bruises. They'll go in no time." Lorelai assured her.

"Why did you tell me to run? I could have helped." She said quietly.

"Oh hon, you did help. You got Luke." Lorelai said hugging her daughter close, ignoring the aches and pains.

"But..."

"No, no buts. Rory, you have to understand that you are the most important person to me. I had to make you safe." She said softly. "But I'm so so sorry you had to witness what you did. I know it scared you but I promise you, I'm going to be ok."

"Ok." Rory said quietly.

Lorelai sighed and held her daughter close. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." Rory said.

"Why don't you go and take a bath?" Luke suggested, making his presence known again. "It might make you feel better. I have some clothes you can change into."

"Oh no, it's ok. We should get home." Lorelai said slowly getting up.

"No way. I'm not letting you go home like this. You're staying here tonight, no questions." Luke said.

"Luke..."

"Please mom..." Rory said interrupting them. She saw her mom's surprised face. "I feel safe here. I don't want to go back outside tonight."

Lorelai had to admit, she felt the same. Something about being with Luke made her feel safe. "Are you sure that's ok?" She asked Luke.

"Of course." He said.

"Ok thanks. Maybe I will go have that bath then." She said quietly.

Luke went to get her a change of clothes and then watched her disappear into the bathroom. He glanced at Rory. "So do you fancy a burger?" He asked. "I could make some fries as well."

"I don't mind." Rory said quietly going over to the couch and hugging her legs against her chest.

Luke sighed and stood awkwardly for a moment. He wasn't good at the confronting stuff. Especially with kids. He slowly went over and sat down next to Rory, his heart breaking as she tried to keep her tears away. "Your mom's going to be ok." He said softly.

Rory glanced at him. "What...What if the men come back?" She asked worried.

Luke could see the fear in her face and his blood boiled thinking about the men who had caused this. "They won't. I will make sure they don't come anywhere near your mom or you again. I promise." He said.

Rory looked at him and something inside her made her believe him. "Is mom really going to be ok?" She asked.

"Your mom's strong. I know this scared both of you but your mom will be ok. I will make sure she is." He said giving her a reassuring smile.

Rory gave him a small smile. "Ok."

Luke was relieved to see Rory relax a bit after that. "So does a burger sound good?" He smiled.

Rory nodded. "Yeah." She watched him get up and head into the kitchen area. "Luke?" She said quietly,

"Yeah?" He said looking back at her.

"Thanks." She said quietly. "For helping mom."

"You don't need to thank me. I'm always going to be here for you both ok? I give you my word on that." He said.

Rory nodded and gave him a small smile.

Luke returned the smile and then got cooking. He knew Lorelai was probably starving as well. He glanced over at Rory who had taken a book out of the bag she had been carrying with her and started reading quietly. He then glanced over at the shut bathroom door and he couldn't even start to imagine the emotions Lorelai was going to. He vowed to himself though that he would never let anything bad happen to her again. To both her and Rory. He was going to make sure he was there for them, no matter what.

 **So a bit of a heavy chapter there! I was really nervous about it so I hoped you liked it! Let me know what you think. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much for your reviews! Here's the next chapter. :)**

Chapter 4

Lorelai opened her eyes the following morning and found the space next to her in bed empty. She started to panic when she heard quiet voices coming from across the room. She turned round and smiled at the sight of Luke showing Rory how to make pancakes. She smiled when she saw Rory giggle when Luke deliberately tossed a pancake high in the air. She got up slowly, only wincing slightly. Her body still ached all over but she was feeling a bit better after some sleep. She walked over to them. "Morning..." She said softly.

Luke and Rory turned round. "Mom!" Rory smiled. "Luke's showing me how to make pancakes!"

Lorelai smiled. "Is he? Wow! You'll have to show me at some point." She said.

Luke glanced at her. "Sleep ok?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah thanks."

"I thought pancakes would be a safe option this morning." He said.

"Pancakes sound great." Lorelai said softly, giving him a sincere smile. "What about the diner?" She asked.

"I asked Caesar to open up. He said he can manage for a few hours." Luke said.

"Oh you didn't need to do that." Lorelai said.

"I know. But I wanted to." Luke said softly.

"Mom, try these! They're so good!" Rory said already having tucked into a plate of pancakes.

Lorelai sat down next to her daughter and started eating some but couldn't really stomach much.

"Are you ok?" Luke asked concerned, noticing her not eating.

"Yeah. I'm just...I haven't got much of an appetite at the moment." She apologised. "These are really tasty though." She said.

"So..uh..what are your plans for today?" He asked cautiously.

Lorelai sighed and glanced at Rory. "I don't know." She admitted. "Don't worry, we'll get out of your way as soon as possible." She said.

"No, don't be silly. You can stay here for as long as you want. For as long as you need." Luke assured her.

Lorelai gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks. But...we should get home. Otherwise..uh.." She said glancing at Rory who was busy eating. "Otherwise I might never do it." She said quietly.

Luke nodded in understanding. "I'll give you a lift back when you want." He said.

"Thanks." She said grateful.

"Mom..." Rory said quietly.

"Yes hon?" Lorelai turned to her daughter.

"Where...Where are those men now?" She asked quietly.

"They're not here, don't worry." Lorelai tried to reassure her.

"But they were here yesterday. What if they are still around? I don't want you to get hurt again." Rory sniffed.

"Aw hon, I'm going to be fine. Those men will be far away from here don't worry. They were only at the inn until early this morning so they will have left already." She said softly.

"But..." Rory said.

"Rory, you don't need to be scared. They won't be coming back. I promise." She said.

Rory bit her lip but nodded. "Ok." She said quietly.

"Hey, Rory, why don't you go down to the diner and ask Caesar for a milkshake? Tell him I sent you." Luke smiled.

"Ok." Rory said quietly, getting up to leave, but before she did she hugged her mom. "I love you mom."

"Oh kid you have no idea." Lorelai said hugging her close. "Go on, go get your milkshake." She smiled.

Rory nodded and headed downstairs.

As soon as Rory had left, she put her head in her hands. "God she isn't going to get over this is she? She's going to be constantly looking over her shoulder." Lorelai said.

"She will get over it, Lorelai. It just make some time." Luke said softly.

"I just...I know I told her they won't be coming back but what if I'm wrong? And what if they target Rory next time? I couldn't bear if anything happened to her..." She cried.

"Hey..." Luke said coming to sit next to her, putting his arm around her. "I won't let anything happen to Rory. She'll be fine." He assured her. He the hesitated before speaking again. "Have you...uh...Have you thought about reporting them?" He asked cautiously.

Lorelai sighed. "I have thought about it, yeah. But what's the point? It's their word against mine and they're from Hartford. They'll be able to afford the best lawyers who will probably get them off anyway. I want them to get done for this but I don't want Rory having to go through all of it again. She's scared enough as it is. I don't know what would happen if she had to see them again." She said quietly. She glanced at Luke. "I know you probably think I'm crazy but...I just want to forget all about it."

Luke sighed. "No I get it, I do." He said. "But wouldn't Rory feel better knowing they were never coming back again for certain?" He said cautiously. "I know you're finding this hard. I can't even imagine what you're going through at the moment but I just...I care about you both. Those men are scum and should pay for what they did." He said. "And what if they do come after Rory next time? Or someone else and no one is there to help?"

Lorelai glanced at him. "I know." She said quietly, tears pricking her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I promise you that I will make sure they don't go near you or Rory ever again but I just...they need to pay, Lorelai. They...They hurt you. They assaulted you." He said quietly.

"No you didn't upset me. You're right. I know you're right but I just..." She let some tears fall down her cheeks. "I'm scared." She finally admitted.

Luke took hold of her hands. "I know." He said softly. "But I will make you a promise here and now. I will be with you every step of the way. I won't let them hurt you again." He said firmly.

Lorelai looked up at him. "God, you're amazing." She said quietly.

"What?" Luke said surprised.

"Sorry, I just...you've only known us a few weeks and you've done so much for us. I've never had someone who I could count on before. I mean, I have Mia and Sookie but this just seems...different." She said softly. She looked at Luke. "Yesterday...I was so scared and suddenly you were there...Thank you." She said sincerely.

"You don't need to thank me." He shook his head.

This time, Lorelai took hold of his hands. "Yes I do. If it wasn't for you, I could have been...well it could have been a lot worse." She said quietly. "I owe you so much. I mean look at this. You took me and Rory in last night without hesitation. You've done so much for us and I know you're not exactly a kid person. I just...I'm so grateful." She said sincerely.

"Rory's a great kid." Luke said. "And isn't this what friends are for?" He smiled. "Lorelai, I care a lot about you and Rory. I will always be here for you. I give you my word." He said softly.

Lorelai took him by surprise by throwing his arms around him and hugging him. "Thank you." She said quietly.

"Are you sure you're ready to go home?" He asked.

"No." She said. "But I should. I need everything to go back to normal. For Rory's sake. I don't want her being scared."

Luke nodded. "And what about...?" He started asking.

"Their names should be in our guest book at the inn. I'll do it." She said quietly.

Luke nodded. "Ok. Good. If you need anything..."

"Actually..." She said nervously. "I'm thinking of taking Rory's to Lane's for a bit to take her mind off things. And then I guess there's no time like the present. I think it would be best if I go to the police station in person but...I don't think I could go by myself." She admitted.

"I'll be there." Luke said quickly.

"But the diner..." Lorelai said.

"Can manage a day without you. The sooner you do this, the sooner those men can get what's coming to them." He said. "I meant it when I said I was here for you every step of the road."

Lorelai smiled at him, touched. "I guess the town was right." She said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked confused.

"Well I've heard people say nothing but great things about your dad and they say you're just like him." Lorelai said softly. "Sookie told me you were a good guy. So did Mia. And you are. I don't know how I can repay you for this." She said.

"You don't need to." Luke said but was touched by what she had said.

"Kirk thinks the world of you." Lorelai smirked.

Luke groaned. "Yeah well Kirk's crazy." He said.

Lorelai laughed. "True but you shout at him everyday and he still loves you. That says something."

"Yeah it says he's crazy." Luke joked but was glad to see Lorelai laughing.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Lorelai had arrived back from the police station with Luke. She'd thanked Luke again and then picked Rory up from Lane's before going home. They watched a movie before going to bed early.

However it was about 11 when Lorelai heard movement at her door. She sat up and saw Rory standing there. "Rory?"

"I...Can I sleep with you? Just for tonight?" Rory asked quietly.

Lorelai smiled at her. "Yeah come on." She said.

Rory went in and climbed under the covers with her mom and snuggled up to her.

"We'll get through this, I promise." Lorelai said softly. "The police will catch the men and then you won't have to worry about them coming back." She said, hoping that was true. The police had told her that they would do everything they could to catch them. "You don't need to be scared, hon, because I promise you I will always protect you. I won't let anyone hurt you. Ever."

Rory snuggled closer to her mom. "Ok." She said quietly.

Lorelai held her daughter close and closed her eyes.

"Mom?" Rory's voice made her open her eyes again.

"Yeah?"

"I like Luke." She said. "He told me that he will make sure no one hurts you or me again. It's nice to have someone look out for us." She said quietly.

Lorelai smiled, thinking about Luke. "Yeah it is." She said softly.

"Night mom." Rory said sleepily.

"Night sweets." Lorelai said softly.

 **So a bit of a shorter chapter, sorry, but hope you liked it! :) Let me know what you think! :)**


End file.
